Dream A Little Dream Of Me
by lantern92
Summary: What happens when you can't be with the one person you want to be with, the love of your life?
1. Chapter 1

_Arnold_

...

The cold autumn wind mocked me as I lazily made my way back to my apartment. It had been a long day full of tests and I was both mentally and physically exhausted. Sleep was all that was on my mind to rest before I'd get up to study for the upcoming midterms.

Fishing out my keys from my pocket, the door opened before me to reveal Gerald, my housemate and best friend who looked ready to go out. He flashed a cheesy grin at me before saying "Man, you look like shit."

"Tell me about it," I said, getting into the warm two man bachelor apartment. "Long day."

"Well, I think it's only gon get better from here," Gerald said, like he was hiding something. I was not sure what he was talking about and neither was I in the mental state to analyse or question it. Usually, Gerald did some strange things and although I knew him since we were little kids, when he did this I never really looked much into it.

"Where you off to?" I asked, grabbing a soda.

"Dinner with Pheobe," he said. Pheobe and Gerald had been dating for four years now, ever since they started 2nd year of college. They were having a hard time in their relationship but they always seemed to work things out… somehow. With parents and exes always getting in the way of them being together. At least they were both making an effort to strentheging their bond.

I nodded "Cool. See you later… or tomorrow then?"

He chuckled "You know me too well."

With Gerald gone, I didn't have the energy to make anything to eat, so decided to take a power nap for a couple of hours to regain my bearing and order in before I started studying. When I got into my room, I saw a figure, huddled under the covers on my bed, watching something from a laptop with a mug of coffee in hand.

"Bubbles?"

She looked up from her Macbook Pro, big blue eyes glistening when I walked in. Her long blonde hair showered her shoulders loosely in a thick halo that framed her face in curls and her thick lips curved into a shy smile when our gazes met.

"Hey, Arnold," her high pitched coo came out softly. Since my sheets were wrapped around her, I couldn't make out what she had on, but her jacket and most of her clothes were strewn by my desk on the far right.

Bubbles Utonium was technically my ex-girlfriend. She was four years younger than me. We were one of those on-off couples for five years, and it drove me made that we didn't have any type of consistency. I was upset because loved her more than I had ever loved any woman in my life before. Currently, we had been broken up for about four months now, although we still kept in touch and hung out on occasions, sometimes even sleeping at each other's houses, fooling around.

But recently, I had started dating my highschool sweetheart Helga Pataki after meeting her at a school reunion and really hitting it off and we were starting to get serious. Obviously I told Bubbles, and she seemed to take it well. "seemed" being an understatement.

Her sister, Blossom and I spoke and she would usually tell me how Bubbles would be doing drugs and go out partying late, hanging out with the wrong crowd and disappearing for days on end. This worried me of course, and I offered to come to talk to her, but Buttercup (Bubble's other triplet sister) refused, insisting that I was the cause of her downfall and my getting involved would only worsen her state, depress her even more.

The reason I ddecided to give up on Bubbles was because the mind games we played with each other were causing me to be a nervous wreck. I loved her to the point of insanity, still did, and highly doubted anything would change that, however, for both our sakes, I could not be with her if she kept acting up and cheating and I'd take her back and she would hear unflattering things about me. Don't get me wrong. I'm by no means perfect and I have been a complete jerk to her in that past, but now all that has changed. My grandmother was suddenly killed in a road accident and that sobered my whole perspective up. Helga was there for me, and it made us very close. The funny thing about it all was everyone had showed up to my grandmother's funeral except for the one person I needed there, Bubbles. She was really close to grandma, and her sisters and dad the Professor even came to show support, but no Bubbles. I was angry at her, and disappointed, so I decided to forget us and concerntrate on a new future. This had been about two months ago, round about the time I stopped speaking to Bubbles. My priorities have shifted and now I'm deciding to live right by everyone in my life I cared about, even if it hurt to.

My heartbeat quickened. Seeing her after all those rollercoaster emotions for her and wishing she was there all that time all hit me quite hard. I nearly dropped my soda. She was even more beautiful than I remembered and saw on social networks. Nothing much had changed though, and I froze there, staring until anger refilled my bones.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, not moving from my doorway. The lighting system in my room was dimmed and the aura was arduous. Her bright blue eyes seemed pained by my lack of joy.

"I …" she said, then stopped in her tracks. The silence hung awkwardly in the air. She had some nerve coming back like everything was still the same it had been months ago.

"I'm outta here," I announced, and marched out from the hall way, fumbling carelessly for my housekeys to leave the apartment, but she called out after me. Had I not been a ball of nerves, and trembling a bit I would have made it in time to storm out and to my car to drive anywhere.

Clumsily, they fell out of my jacket and she had run to my side. I was every emotion, but mostly surprised at what she was wearing when she stood in front of me… lace white underwear and a tanktop, braless. I didn't look and made my best not to seem like I had noticed it in particular, trying to be a gentleman about it.

"Arnold, wait, please," she begged in her cute soft voice. The same voice I had dreamt of for months hearing from. Our eyes met and my heart nearly failed inside my chest with the intensity of the moment. What was she going to say next?

"I'm sorry for everything. I know it's way too late, but I want to make things right with you," she said.

Again, I didn't say anything. I was hanging between being mad and jumping for joy. She'd always have a vital part of me in her little hands that she would be able to control no matter what. I sighed, waving a white flag. As much as I wanted to I couldn't hold a grudge against anyone, what more Bubble Utonium who I loved more than anyone in the world. She was innocent, and swet and I was sure eveyrhthing she had done was a misguided attempt to get some sort of control in her life after dropping out of university due to bad grades.

"It's ok," I told her, avoiding eye contact. "I get it. We all make mistakes."

"Oh Arnold!" she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me close, I smelt her blueberry dawn scent, she hadn't changed it after all this time I thought. "Thank you."

She pulled away from me slightly and landed a warm, nostalgic kiss on my lips. I didn't fight it. I didn't want to, so I returned it, holding onto her for dear life. I even went on further to pull her closer to me, and she squealed quietly like she always did when she liked what was happening. The woman of my dreams was back in my life and I was undoubtedly happy to see her hear what she had said and be there, wanting me.

I suddenly pulled away, remembering Helga and blurted it out "I have a girlfriend, Bubbles."

...

**Thank you for reading! Please do review with ideas and suggestions and comments. I will continue further if this pairing is popular :) -L92 **


	2. Chapter 2

_Bubbles_

_... _

My eyes watered and the expression on my face must have gone from "take me now" to "what now". Biting down on my lip hard, I stifled a cracked voice. Arnold had moved on.

He read my emotions as well as he always did and reached out to take my arm "Bubbles."

"Uhm, I should go," I said, my voice cracking anyway. I avoided his hand by pulling mine to my sides. I marched to his high-tech bedroom in my underwear feeling exposed and embarrassed and began to put on my clothes. He hadn't chased me down the hall like I had done earlier. He walked slowly into the room and sat on the bed, watching me get dressed and collect my things, not saying a word.

I wanted to sob and yell at him for getting over me so quickly, but I didn't know what to say. I mean, I knew I had hurt him by not being there for him for so long, but I didn't think he'd actually go out and get another girlfriend. Who was she anyway? Someone I knew? A mutual friend of ours? Someone from his past? Well, I didn't want to stay long enough to find out because it would only break my heart even more.

My sister Buttercup's words from earlier on that day echoed in my head "Don't go, Bub. What if he's moved on and got another girlfriend?"

Yea, what if had turned to if and what was I supposed to do now. I knew that him being the gentleman he was, he would never do anything with me given the circumstances. He was not a cheater. But at the same time, I wanted him to stop me from leaving and cuddle with me in his bed for old times sake, because I missed him and mainly because I loved him desperately, more than I could ever say.

"Bubbles… it's late, and cold. Stay for the night and I'll drive you home tomorrow morning," he said, back faced to me. Had I just heard right? He wants me to stay the night?

"I don't want to impose Arnold, really," I said, taking my handbag. He faced me now. "And it wouldn't seem right to your girlfriend if I stayed over the night."

"No, I'll just sleep on the couch, its no big deal. Really," he insisted. Looks like some things never changed. He was still the gentleman he had always been. I kicked myself mentally for having let him go so easily. "Whats wrong?"

"Its just. I feel so terrible for taking you for granted, and us breaking up, everything," I opened up. "I came to apologize and now I'm making a huge fool out of myself."

The water works began. I thought that by the time I was 21 I would have my easily triggered tears on lockdown but they were just as bad and elastic as when I was 5. Arnold was by my side in a flash, and consoling me with a strong embrace.

"I don't want you thinking like that Bubbles. That's all in the past, and lets leave it there," he said gently, rubbing my back sympathetically. A few minutes of silence and crying passed, and he said "Did you have supper?"

I shook my head. "I came here right after classes."

"Oh, ok. Let me make us that quick stirfry you love so much," he offered. I cant believe he even remembered my favorite food, and that I was a vegetarian. "You rest here, ok?"

I said "Can I help?" he nodded, accepting my assistance.

Surprisingly, the kitchen was stocked with all the ingredients despite Arnold not regularly cooking due to his always hectic timetables and Gerald always buying take outs. I diced up vegitables and did the sidekick duties while he did the actual cooking. He had always been a good, no, great cook from as far back as I could remember. And he loved making meals for his friends and family, a trait I really liked about him. He respected that I was a vegetarian and never ate meat when we were together to support me, which was mighty sweet of him too. I watched him cook and noticed how much more muscular he had become. Looked like Arnold had decided to spend more time in the gym and boy was it paying off. I blushed thinking about the fact that I didn't have clothes on when I rushed out of the doorway to stop him from leaving.

I had always been very confident and comfortable with my body, but throwing myself at taken men was definitely not on the list of things I would do. Or perhaps, just maybe, the right taken man had not availed himself to me for me to take? He turned to me and caught me staring at him, but smiled and I smiled back. How come he felt so close and yet so far from me? I didn't want to make a fool out of myself by kissing or seducing him anymore tonight, so I decided I would keep my hands to myself.

"Done," he announced as he brought two plates to the small kitchen table I was sitting on.

"Smells great," I hummed.

"I did learn from the best," he winked. Remembering that I had taught him the recipe, I blushed. There were butterflies in my tummy now and I wanted to cry and hide under my blankies cause it hurt to think of him with another girl.

He sat down and we began talking over dinner about all the things we had been up to the past couple of months. It wasn't anything too indepth, he just told me about how his master in business administration degree was coming along and how stressful it was to balance that and his internship. I was proud of him, he was doing really big things with his life like he had always dreamt of doing and I loved that he was happy (although stressed) about it all. I told him that I was taking advance dance classes as of three months back and choreographing mainly theatrical ballet productions for some cash on the side. He nodded, interested. It wasn't any shock that he heard I was going into dancing because he had always known I loved it, but the look on his face was more of a "I'm proud you found something you love" type of impressed look. By all means, we avoided the elephant in the room, his relationship. I didn't want to talk about it, and he didn't look like he was ready to disclose the details either. So we talked about the house his grandparents had left with all the tenants and how Arnold was now managing the place, renovating it wing by wing. His grandfather was now in a home for the elderly for full time care. We finished the food and I offered to do the dishes, but he told me I didn't have to, then put them in the dishwasher.

We headed back to his room, trying not to make the conversation or atmosphere awkward. I sat cross legged on his bed and he was fishing for something in his wardrobe. When he found it he handed it me. "It'll be cold tonight," he said. He had handed me his track pants and shirt to sleep in. "Thanks" I said.

He stepped out to let me change and I heard him go to the shower to take a hot one. I looked around at his room, and wondered if anything was really not going to happen tonight. I kept having this feeling of strong attraction to him whenever I'd see his smile or arms or chest. I was boiling with hormones for him, and I certainly didn't want to sleep alone tonight. But I knew it would take a lot to convince him to sleep in the same bed as me, what more to have sex. Or maybe I was underestimating how attracted he was to me? Or how much he had missed me?

When Arnold came back dressed in pajama bottoms and a sleep shirt, he sat by me on his bed.

"Wan watch a movie?" he suggested. I nodded, not saying anything and taking in a whiff of his after shower scent. It was heavenly. And I was being creepy about it, but I couldn't help it. I missed him so terribly.

"Are you ok with this one?" he asked, pointing to a romcom.

I giggled "I've watched every romcom on this list, how abouuuuut… this?"

"The horror movie? Are you sure Bub?" he teased. A ray of hope swept through my heart. He called me by the name he always used to call me. Was there a chance of anything happening tonight because of that?

"Yes, I'm not scared anymore," I insisted. He grinned "Oh yea?"

I nodded "I know the difference between real and fake you know," I said, laughing and playfully nudging him.

"Well, ok then," he said. "But if you find you cant sleep tonight…"

I clicked on the movie and his plasma mounted on the wall began to play it. "We'll deal with that when the time comes," I said, sticking my tongue out. He smiled and sat back, propped up by pillows, then took his remote and switched the lights off.

My chest heaved in anticipation. I don't think my attention was even on the screen or the movie, but it was completely on him. His clothes had his scent all over it and I missed it terribly. I wanted him to hold me in his arms and cuddle under his blankets. Why did he have to be such a good guy. Forty minutes into the movie I found my head leaning on his shoulder, and grabbing his arm out of fear. I thought I could take it but I was fooling myself. He didn't look too phased by the zombies onscreen, and better still, didn't shake me off.

"You ok, Bub?" he whispered.

I shook my head "Kinda scared. But don't turn it off… I like this," I heard myself say. As soon as I did I felt like it was a huge mistake. Now it was like I was trying to seduce him! But to my surprise, he said "Me too."

I smiled a little at his reply and held his hand, it fitting so perfectly with mine. "I've missed you," he said to me. Looking up at him I reiterated his words, and he looked forward to watch the movie after smiling. He sure was giving me mixed signals.

Eventually, I had drifted off to sleep by Arnold's arm. I stirred in my sleep a couple of hours later to find him spooning me, which I cuddled into even more and let myself enjoy. The cold autumn air blew outside and I was snuggled up with my love. It was perfect, but not ideal.

...


End file.
